Oil and gas production gun perforator



INVENTOR ATTORNEYS c. A. RICOU Filed 0ct. 9, 1959 OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION GUN PERFORA'I'OR Nov. 4, 1941.

QAJZLbOu WITNESS Patented Nov. 4, 1941 011. AND GAS PRODUCTION GUN PEaFonA oa Clarence A. Ricou, Shreveport, La., assignor to Petroleum Increase Corporation,- Tex., a corporation of Texas Carthage,

' Application October 9, 1939, Serial No. 298,726

' 3 Claims; (01-. 164-05) My invention relates to oil,-gas wells and the like, and includes among its objects and advan tages the provision of an improved gun adapted to fire projectiles through the well casing or into the surroundingformation in a plurality of directions and at different elevations to increase the productivity of the well.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is an elevational view of a gun in accordance with my invention with certain parts broken away for the sake of -cle'arness.

Figure 2 is an elevational view illustrating the manner in which a series of guns may be connected asa unit for firing projectiles at different elevations, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating the structural connection between-two In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, the gun includes a cylindrical body l2 providedwith a plurality of bores l4, i6, I8 and 20 constituting powder or explosion chambers. Each of the chambers l4 to 20 is provided with a projectile 22, and the projectiles and chambers are identical in construction and operation so that the description of one will apply to all.

Figure 1 illustrates the projectile 22 being provided with a cylindrical body 24 disposed in a bore 26 coaxial with the chamber 14, but of larger diameter to provide a shoulder 28. Between the rear face of the projectile 22 and the shoulder 28 I position a lead plate 30 for sealing purposes. The projectile includes a tapered nose 32. Projectile bore 26 communicates with an enlarged bore 34, and within the latter I position a lead washer 36 having a central opening fitting the taper 32. Adjacent the lead washer 38 I position a copper gasket 48 and adjacent the latter I position an iron washer 42. The gasket and the iron washer are provided with central openings fitting the taper 32, and the projectile 22 is pressed against the lead plate 30 through the medium of a clamp ring 44 threaded into the bore 34. Thus the projectile 22 is effectively secured in position, and the securing means constitutes an effective seal to prevent the entrance of moisture into the powder chamben, Body I 2 is recessed at 46 to receive a plate 48 having its outer face lying flush with the adjacent [ace of the body l2, and the plate may be detachably secured through the medium of screws 50. The

entire outer surface of the body l2, including the plates 48 are sprayed with a metallized coating 52 to provide a complete moisture protective seal.

Body l2 is" provided with a central. bore 54 which establishes" communication between all the chambers l4 to 20, in addition to communicating with a powder space 56 at the bottom of a bore 58 in the upper end of the body. Bore 54 also extends through the neck 60 at the lower end of head 140i a firing pin assembly 16. Head 14 includes a taper 18 coacting with a similar taper in the sleeve 10 to hold the firing pin assembly in position against any explosive forces. effective thereon. Head '14 includes firing pins 82 adapted to fire the primer caps 68 but normally supported out of firing engagement therewith by reason of a shear pin 84 extending through the shank 86 or the firing pin assembly with the ends of the firing pin supported in bores in the collar 64 and the sleeve Ill.

A tube 88 is'threaded into the bore 58 and is provided with a threaded neck 90 provided with tubing to facilitate lowering of the gun into the well bore or casing. vAfter lowering of the gun to a. predetermined depth, a go-devil may be dropped in the tubing to be guided into the tube 88 for engagement 'with the firing pin assembly I6. Thus the impact of the go-devil will shear the pin 84 and drive the firing pin assembly in firing engagement with the primer caps 68, thus I propelling all the projectiles through the well casing and into the surrounding formation for opening up new avenues for the inflow of fluid.

In some cases it is desirable to fire projectiles into the surrounding formation at considerably spaced altitudes. To this end, the cap 62 may be removed and the neck 60 threadedly connected with a tube 92 through the medium of a coupling 94, see Figure 2. The lower end of the tube 92 is connected with the neck 90 of the sectional g'un 96 through the medium of, a coupling 98. Gun 96 may be identical with that disclosed in Figure 1, and Figure 3 illustrates the structural connection between the two guns.

With the guns connected in multiple, a godevil I00 is positionedin the tube 92 and includes a shank I02 receivable in the lower end of the bore its normally inactive position of Figure 3. Referring to Figure 3, it will be noted that the gun 96 includes a firing pin assembly I08 identical with that disclosed at I6 in Figure 2, with the godevil I aligned with the firing assembly I00. Thus when the gun I2 is fired, the explosive forces efiective on the shank I02 will shear the pin I06 so that the go-devil I00 will impinge against the firing assembly I08 to fire the projectiles associated therewith. i

Neck 00 of the gun I2 may be connected with a perforated tube IIO through the medium of a coupling II2, with the tube 0 connected with tubing I I4 which serves as a guide for the go-devil employed for firing that gun. Discs II! are welded inside the perforated tube IIO to prevent fiuid from entering the gun I2 or rising in the tube H4. Discs I06 are ruptured by the gravity propelled go-devil. Upon rupturing ofthe discs, particularly the upper disc, fluids will rush into the tube I I4 and create a vacuum condition in the surrounding formation,which aids in the production of the well. Accordingly, the gun need not be raised in order to produce, since the 'perforated tube I I0 constitutes an inlet for the tubing Ill. Both guns I0 and 96 are each provided with two primer caps 68 so as to increase the firing odds. Occasionally a primer cap might become defective, but in a gun employing a plurality of firing caps, the'firing odds are greatlyincreased and it is seldom that both primer caps of one gun' are defective. t

Obviously, any number of guns may beinterconnected as a unit, and the spacing of theguns may easily be determined through varying the length of the connecting tube 92.

The explosive forces effective on the projectiles 22 will of course rupture the washers 30, 40 and 42, and the openings in the clamp rings 44 constitute rifle bores for the projectiles. The construction of the gun is such as to permit reloading, and the gun is substantially constructed so as to withstand all necessary explosive forces.

5|. A shear pin I06 supports thego-devil I00 in' Having thus described certain embodiments of my invention in detail, it is, of course, understood that I do not desire to limit the scope thereof to the exact details set forth except insofar as those details may be defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination of a plurality of guns each having a plurality of explosive propelled projectiles and gun boresfor the projectiles, said guns being detachably connected, impact responsive means for firing the first gun, and explosive responsive means associated with said one gun and coactingwith the other gun forfiring the latter.

2. A gun of the type described comprising a metallic body provided with a plurality of gun bores, projectiles in said gun bores, means for firing said projectiles, said body being recessed circumjacent said gun bores, metallic plates having margins lying in said recesses, means for securing said plates to said body, said plates being adapted to be ruptured by their respective projectiles, and a metallic coating sprayed over said body and said plates to provide a moisture seal. I

3. A gun of the'type described comprising a body having a plurality of gun bores, projectiles in said gun'bores, an explosion chamber associated with each projectile, an ignition channel common to all said explosion chambers, a firing means for saidignition channel, said ignition channel and said explosion chambers being provided with explosive material, a second gun having a gun bore and a projectile therein, an explosion chamber associated with said last mentioned projectile, including an ignition channel, said last mentioned explosion chamber and ignition channel being provided with explosive material, a firing means for firing said last mentioned explosive, and means responsive to explosive-force in said first mentioned gun and coacting with said last mentioned firing means for actuating the same. i

, CLARENCE A. RICOU. 

